Civil Engineer, GS-13

These positions are in Region 9, Superfund & Emergency Management Division, Tribal Land Cleanup & Remedial Support Branch, Site Assessment & Tech Support Section.

 

Title:

Civil Engineer

Series & Grades Advertised:

0810; GS-13

Full Performance Level:

GS-13

No. of Vacancies

many

   

Area of Consideration:

Open to the public

Position Type:

Full-Time, Permanent

Opening Date:

05/08/2023

Closing Date:

05/26/2023

Location

San Francisco, CA

Flagstaff, AZ

Los Angeles, CA

Other Information:

Moderate Risk (MR) Designation

To be considered for this position, applicants must apply online at the USAJOBS.gov website by the closing date of the announcement and follow the vacancy announcement instructions for providing any applicable supplemental information.

 

Duties

You will:

 

• Serve as the Regional Expert on engineering practices associated with the treatment of contaminated groundwater or acid mine drainage, and on the various corrective actions available to restore or isolate contaminated earth and groundwater. Direct contractual work efforts in cases where EPA must assume the cleanup duties to assure that federal funds are properly expended and that contractors are utilized effectively and efficiently. Review and provide comments on remedial designs including basis of design reports, design criteria reports, preliminary designs, and other intermediate submittal design packages.
• Prepare briefings and reports and represents the Region at meetings, seminars, and conferences with
  Regional/Headquarters’ management and program staff, other agencies and the public (universities and research) in matters relating to waste treatment/management and the design/construction of remedies consistent with CERCLA.

When entering a Federal job at a grade level lower than the highest promotion potential level, you may be promoted to more complex duties and work more independently, as your career progresses.  NOTE:  Career ladder promotions are not automatic, and all eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met in order to progress to the next grade level.

 

You will spend 25-50% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.

 

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

 

Requirements Conditions of Employment

• Position has education requirements--see Qualifications/Education section. You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section. EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course listings.
• You must be a U.S. citizen.

This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

 

If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.

 

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

 

If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.

 

You will be required to meet ongoing specialized safety training requirements in order to meet field safety standards.

 

#LI-Onsite

 

Participation in the medical monitoring program is required.

 

Qualifications In addition to the educational requirements, we are looking for at least one year of specialized experience related to this position as described below:

 

To qualify for the GS-13 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-12 level defined as assisting other Regional and State-staff by
providing engineering consultation and evaluations on methods to clean up Superfund hazardous waste sites; technical advisor on matters relating to the cleanup of hazardous waste sites from numerous types of contaminant sources.

 

Your application package will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas: 

 

• Knowledge of advanced concepts, principles and practices of civil engineering in order to serve as
  technical authority on all aspects of hazardous waste site cleanup and management. Expert knowledge of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), the National Contingency Plan (NCP), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Clean Air ACT (CAA), Federal Facility Compliance Act (FFCA), Base Closure and Realignment Issues, (BRAC), hazardous waste regulations, and other environmental statutes. Skill in establishing goals and assessing progress toward their achievement; and in adjusting work operations and program objectives to meet emergencies, changing programs, objectives, or production requirements within available resources and with minimum sacrifice of quality or quantity of work.
• Skill in written communication.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

 

If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

 

Education You need a degree or combination of education and experience as described below to qualify for this position.

 

All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for consideration for an engineering position:

 

• Successful completion of a professional engineering degree at an accredited university or college

OR

 

• Have a combination of college level education or training AND technical experience that has furnished you with (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering.  The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration as an engineer. Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test. Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM.
2. Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field and at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications.

 

For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

 

Education You need a degree or combination of education and experience as described below to qualify for this position.

 

All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for consideration for an engineering position:

 

• Successful completion of a professional engineering degree at an accredited university or college

OR

 

• Have a combination of college level education or training AND technical experience that has furnished you with (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering.  The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration as an engineer. Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test. Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM.
2. Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field and at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications.

 

For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

 

 

 

Additional information Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.

 

EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.

 

Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures

 

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

 

This position is in the bargaining unit.

 

How You Will Be Evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

 

This position is being filled through the Office of Personnel Management’s government-wide direct-hire authority. Under the provisions of the direct-hire authority, category rating, veterans’ preference, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply. All eligible applicants will be forwarded to the selecting official for further consideration, and you may be subject to assessments during the selection process (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.). If you are selected, we will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the qualification requirements.

 

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

 

Required Documents

Documents to be submitted online:

 

NOTE: You should ensure your social security number, date of birth, and any other personal information are redacted.

 

--Resume clearly stating your experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section. In describing your experience, you need to be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience.
--College transcripts - required to submit either unofficial transcripts or a list of courses that includes school(s) attended, school address, course title, grades earned, completion dates, department, and quarter or semester hours earned.  NOTE:  Official educational transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if you are selected, you must provide official transcripts before you start work with EPA.  IF EDUCATION WAS COMPLETED AT A FOREIGN INSTITUTION:  You must submit an equivalency evaluation with your application as described here:  EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.